Welcome to our wiki page on Antarctic wildlife and the affects of the environment changing. The animals that we have chosen are the fur seal, krill and the king penguin. We are looking at what there life includes and what is affecting them through the environment changing.
Krill
Adult Antarctica krill are approximately six centimeters in length. Adult also weigh over a gram. Krill have white large black eyes, most Krill species are transparent, but there have bright red shells. in breeding season Female Antarctic Krill lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time, sometimes several times a season. Antarctic Krill are mainly herbivorous, feeding mostly on the phytoplankton. To adapt to its environment during cooled winter condition when food supplies are scarcest, krill will reduce their size. Krill are currently counted by estimated the population using scientific echo-sounders that measure the reflections of sounds of objects below a ship.
Effects on krill Scientists are seeing the environment changing and the changers are affecting krill, because of these changers we are seeing a decrease in the numbers of krill in the Antarctic waters. Krill seams to be disappearing in parts of the Antarctic Ocean. This is because of the area of sea ice is getting smaller and there is not enough algae for them to eat. This is a great example of how little changers can have a big impact on the animals like krill.
Penguins and the King Penguins
They are flightless swimming birds that are found only in the southern hemosphere. The kings are the second largest penguin. There 85 to 95cmtimeters in height. Males weigh approximately 16.5 kg and females approximately 14.3kg. The king penguins are black with a patch of bright golden – orange feathers on their necks and webbed feet. The king penguins are social birds. The king’s behaviors include swimming and feeding in groups. When it is breeding season the king’s penguin’s nest in huge colonies, there may be hundreds and thousands of penguins. King penguins have adapted well to their hard living conditions in Antarctica. In cool conditions the penguins adapt by having four layers of feathers to keep them warm. Kings outer layer of feathers are oiled and they are waterproof, the inner three layers are down feathers very effective in cool weather and when it is snowing. There is a problem in the Antarctic food web; it is the loss of the Adélie and chinstrap penguins.
Fur Seals
The fur seal has sharp teeth, long whiskers and thick fur, similar to the coat of a dog. They don’t have layers of fat like other seals but rely on their thick fur coat to keep them warm. Adult males can weigh up to 200 kg adult females can weigh about 40 kg, and pup seals weigh between 3 and 7 kg at birth. Occasionally these seal pups are pale blonde. Female fur seals travel close to the islands while carrying for their young. Male fur seals have no particular responsibility and forage significantly further afield. At South Georgia, females dive to around 30 m but can exceed 100m, remaining submerged for 2 to 5 minutes. Fur seal have thick fur which helps them to adapt to its cold environment. It fat layer helps when it swimming in the freezing ocean. When counting seals Scientists take a sample of a small area. They do this by counting how many animals are in a 1 metre square and they multiply this figure by the area they are measuring.
Antarctica Wildlife
Introduction
Welcome to our wiki page on Antarctic wildlife and the affects of the environment changing. The animals that we have chosen are the fur seal, krill and the king penguin. We are looking at what there life includes and what is affecting them through the environment changing.
Krill
Adult Antarctica krill are approximately six centimeters in length. Adult also weigh over a gram. Krill have white large black eyes, most Krill species are transparent, but there have bright red shells. in breeding season Female Antarctic Krill lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time, sometimes several times a season. Antarctic Krill are mainly herbivorous, feeding mostly on the phytoplankton. To adapt to its environment during cooled winter condition when food supplies are scarcest, krill will reduce their size. Krill are currently counted by estimated the population using scientific echo-sounders that measure the reflections of sounds of objects below a ship.
Effects on krill Scientists are seeing the environment changing and the changers are affecting krill, because of these changers we are seeing a decrease in the numbers of krill in the Antarctic waters. Krill seams to be disappearing in parts of the Antarctic Ocean. This is because of the area of sea ice is getting smaller and there is not enough algae for them to eat. This is a great example of how little changers can have a big impact on the animals like krill.
Penguins and the King Penguins
They are flightless swimming birds that are found only in the southern hemosphere. The kings are the second largest penguin. There 85 to 95cmtimeters in height. Males weigh approximately 16.5 kg and females approximately 14.3kg. The king penguins are black with a patch of bright golden – orange feathers on their necks and webbed feet. The king penguins are social birds. The king’s behaviors include swimming and feeding in groups. When it is breeding season the king’s penguin’s nest in huge colonies, there may be hundreds and thousands of penguins. King penguins have adapted well to their hard living conditions in Antarctica. In cool conditions the penguins adapt by having four layers of feathers to keep them warm. Kings outer layer of feathers are oiled and they are waterproof, the inner three layers are down feathers very effective in cool weather and when it is snowing. There is a problem in the Antarctic food web; it is the loss of the Adélie and chinstrap penguins.
Fur Seals
The fur seal has sharp teeth, long whiskers and thick fur, similar to the coat of a dog. They don’t have layers of fat like other seals but rely on their thick fur coat to keep them warm. Adult males can weigh up to 200 kg adult females can weigh about 40 kg, and pup seals weigh between 3 and 7 kg at birth. Occasionally these seal pups are pale blonde. Female fur seals travel close to the islands while carrying for their young. Male fur seals have no particular responsibility and forage significantly further afield. At South Georgia, females dive to around 30 m but can exceed 100m, remaining submerged for 2 to 5 minutes. Fur seal have thick fur which helps them to adapt to its cold environment. It fat layer helps when it swimming in the freezing ocean. When counting seals Scientists take a sample of a small area. They do this by counting how many animals are in a 1 metre square and they multiply this figure by the area they are measuring.
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/global_warming.htm 1/6/11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale#Behavior25/5/11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale #Feeding 25/5/11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale 25/5/11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Penguin 26/5/11
26/5/11
http://www.antarctica.org.nz/04-biology/index.html 30/5/11
http://www.classroom.antarctica.gov.au/5-southern-life/5-10-counting-antarctic-animals 30/5/11
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/penguin/behavior.htm 1/6/11
By Annalise Wilson and Rhiannon Grace.